Oregon City DECA recently went on a student-organized Tour of Businesses. The chapter made stops at the Safeway Mall, Down Town Oregon City, Oregon City Shopping Center, and the Clackamas Town Center. Before the event, the students had arranged for meetings at each location, doing all the work themselves from brainstorming where to go, to setting up the times for the meetings. Upon arrival, the members split off into different groups. At each stop, a new student would take charge of the group, make introductions, and be the spokesperson for the group, giving all the students a great leadership experience.

They made stops at Safeway, Kohl’s, Nordstrom’s, The Verdict Restaurant, Dutch Bros., McMenamins, Fishermans Supply, Starbucks, and Journey, as well as many others. Managers of the stores answered the students questions about management, industry trends, their customer service methods, and their hiring process, giving the students a plethora of knowledge to use in their futures.

Ms. Daniels says, “Don’t wait for your buss at the court house!” They had many odd requests and conversations from those going in and out. One student, without even saying yes, ended up babysitting a dog while his owner went into the courthouse to see if his son was going to jail!

But in the end, the students all had a wonderful time and learned a valuable information. Opportunities like this cannot be conveyed in the classroom, one of the great benefits that DECA allows it’s members!